Issues
by 4ever Optimistic
Summary: You never know what you've lost until you've lost it. Danny must deal with desicions from the past and the consequences in the present. Slight DOC
1. Who's That

"Well that's the end that," Jack said tugging the picture loose from the board.

"Why do people have to have affairs," Martin asked, wiping the board. "Why can't they just get divorced and run away. Do they have to leave behind a hysterical spouse who's convinced they're dead?"

"Hey if we didn't have them, this job probably wouldn't exist," Jack pointed out. Martin nodded in agreement.

"Well on with the paperwork," Sam proclaimed, spinning in her chair.

"Speak for yourself," Danny retorted with a smirk. "Anyone want some coffee?" he asked innocently. They all smiled and turned down his offer. Everyone knew he was only offering to get coffee so that he could go flirt with the receptionist.

"I hate paperwork," Vivian said as she sifted through some files.

"I have to agree with you," Martin yawned.

"It's only been half a day and you're already tired? You must've had a looong night last night," Sam teased. He shot her a look.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Everybody watched wearily as Jack answered the phone. After a few moments, he hung up.

"Looks like our new arrival is here," he announced. Everyone was silent. The case before their last had nearly killed Elena's daughter. She couldn't risk that again so she had quit and moved to California. It broke Danny's heart, but he knew he had to let her go.

Jack stood outside the elevator, waiting for the new agent. When the doors opened, a woman stepped out. She radiated with confidence. From her pulled back black hair to the glasses perched on her nose, it showed she was not one to mess around with. While her outfit complemented her shape, the very first thing Jack noticed were her eyes. They were a vivid emerald green that could see right through you. The haunted look in them reminded Jack of someone familiar.

"Good Afternoon. You must be Jack Malone," she deduced. "I'm Chrysanthemum Rogers." She held out her hand and Jack shook it.

"We currently have no case," Jack informed her, "so why don't I introduce you to the rest of the team." Jack led her through the glass doors. As she entered, she quickly scanned the room. Catching a glimpse of someone, she halted. After a moment, Jack realized she wasn't behind him.

"What's wrong Chrysanthemum?" he asked

"Who's he?" Danny was at his desk, joking around with Martin and Sam with Vivian throwing a comment in now and then.

"Who him?" Jack asked pointing to Danny. "Oh! He's Danny Taylor." No sooner had his name left Jacks lips when Chrysanthemum's whole demeanor changed. The temperature around her dropped 10 degrees. "I can see why you notice him right away. He is attractive. Almost every single women in this building have a crush on him. If you want a date with him, you're gonna have competition," Jack rambled on, not noticing the change.

"Is he on the team?" she asked quietly.

"Yes. Why?" he asked back, noticing how tense she was. Her eyes flashed.

"No reason," she answered, slowly taking a step back.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Jack asked loudly.


	2. History

Hi. This is my first fanfic. My friend got me into writing fanfics. I hope you enjoy it.

**Martin:** So you're new here.

**Me:** Yep

**Martin: **So it's the first time you ever posted a fanfic.

**Me:** Yes

**Martin: **So that means you're horrible at writing

**Me: **No.

**Martin: **Yes it does.

**Me: **No it doesn't

**Martin: **Yes it does.

**Me: **You know what! Just say the disclaimer before I hurt you.

**Martin: **4ever Optimistic cough who cannot write cough does not own the characters of Without a Trace.

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Since they were near the vicinity of the team, everyone turned around to see what was going on. The moment Danny set eyes on her, his grin disappeared. His face hardened and a shadow passed over his eyes. Chrysanthemum reluctantly took a step forward. Jack cleared his throat nervously. She turned her attention to him as he started to introduce the team.

"This is Martin Fitzgerald."

"Hi."

"Vivian Johnson."

"Great to have you on our team."

"Samantha Spade."

"Nice to meet you."

"And Danny Taylor," he introduced last. Hatred radiated from every fiber of both their bodies.

"Chrys," he greeted coldly.

"Taylor," She answered back icily.

"Well that's your desk," Jack said trying to avert their attention from each other. He was pointing to Elena's old desk. "You should get settled in." Chrys nodded and headed to her desk. Opening a drawer, she dropped her pocketbook in.

While she was busy setting up her desk, the rest of the team were watching Danny. They were bursting with questions, but he didn't notice. Instead he was staring intently at Chrys while she ignored him. Danny tilted his head. Chrys really hadn't changed. Her eyes still flashed just like he remembered. He'd always been obsessed with her eyes. Chrys was the one who taught him how to unnerve a witness by staring the person down. In exchange, Danny taught her how to smirk. As he watched her pin a few pictures up, he noticed one was missing.

"You're missing a picture. Your favorite one too," Danny remarked innocently.

"I no longer own that picture," she answered, not looking at him.

"I'm hurt," Danny shot back, sarcastically.

"Well at least I'd be a change now wouldn't it?" she snapped at Danny. She had spun her chair so that she was staring directly into his eyes. Danny's eyes were growing darker by the second from the anger he felt until they were almost black. Chrys's eyes were sparkling dangerously. Jack, Viv, and Sam shrunk back a bit. This was going to be a long rest of the day.


	3. Lying

**Me: **AAHHH WRITER'S BLOCK

**Martin: **Have a cookie. It'll help you.

**Me: **(glares at Martin) I don't want a cookie.

**Sam: **What's going on?

**Martin: **She doesn't want these cookies.

**Me: **(Hits Martin on the head) I have writer's block. (I really did. I couldn't figure out how to start this chapter.)

**Sam:** So why don't you try rhyming? It works for me.

**Me:** That's a good idea. Well then on with the story.

P.S. I don't own any of the characters except for Chrys

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Danny was pist, and so was Chrys.

"I never did anything," he said heatedly.

"I know. That's exactly the problem now isn't it?" Chrys retorted. Danny knew he was about to explode so abruptly, pushed his chair back and stalked away. Chrys watched as he walked away. When she couldn't see him anymore, she turned back to the desk and started massaging her temples. "Goddamn migraines," she muttered. After a moment, Sam got up and walked after Danny to make sure he was OK. Martin and Viv started to discuss how to find out what was going on in an undertone. Jack just shook his head. He didn't have time to get caught up in an office soap opera. With a grunt, he headed to his office.

(Break room)

Danny poured himself a cup of coffee and settled himself in a chair. Deep in thought, he didn't notice when Sam entered the room.

Leaning on the counter, she looked at him expectantly. "Are you OK?" she asked. Danny snapped out of his funk and looked up at Sam with lost eyes.

"What? Oh, I'm fine," Danny said, not meeting her eyes.

"Who is she?" Sam asked cautiously.

"Someone," he answered in a clipped tone.

"Someone…special?" she asked carefully watching Danny's reaction.

"It's no one Sam OK?" he snapped. She nodded, but kept watching him. "She's someone from my past," Danny said hesitantly after a while, "But it's not important." After a pause, Sam knew this conversation was over.

(Bullpen)

"So you know Danny?" Martin asked coming behind Chrys.

"Maybe. What's it to you?" she asked back with a small smile.

"Oh nothing. Sooo like the office so far," he asked casually.

"You want to know about me and Danny."

Martin coughed. "Maybe." Chrys smiled a sad smile.

"We use to be friends."

"Really good friends?"

"I guess." By now, Viv had wandered over to Martin and Chrys.

With Viv by his side, Martin resumed his questioning. "Were you guys good friends, friendly friends, really friendly friends, or really really friendly friends?" he asked hoping for some insight into Danny and Chrys's relationship. Chrys shot him a strange look. "Just curious," Martin said with an innocent smile.

"Riiight," she said slowly, trying not to laugh. Viv and Martin looked at her with questioning eyes. "We were just friends." Martin and Viv looked at each other and gave each other a knowing nod. "What was that for?" Chrys asked.

"Well I highly doubt anyone this mad at Danny was _just_ a friend," Viv said.

"We were just friends," she insisted. Martin and Viv just looked at her with a knowing look on their faces. Chrys was just about to say something when…

"We were just friends." Danny walked into the bullpen with an irritated look on his face. Sam followed him in and joined Martin. Danny sat down at the meeting table and started on his paperwork. Everyone stared guiltily at their paperwork, knowing they should get to it. With a sigh, Viv left their ensemble first and joined Danny at the table. After a few moments, Sam and Martin joined them. Everything was quiet.

After a while, Danny lifted his head. His gaze settled on Chrys. She was staring out the window while subconsciously stroking a necklace she wore around her neck. Feeling his gaze, Chrys turned her head.

"What are you staring at?" she asked in a bored tone.

"Nothing." Danny turned back to his paperwork.

"Am I supposed to believe that?"

"Yes," he said stiffly. He looked up. There was a small smile playing on her lips and her eyes were laughing at him.

"You were never good at lying. That's how I knew you really meant what you said," she said.

Danny started tapping his pen. "Oh really?"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You know when Danny's lying?" Sam asked, interrupting their little conversation. "I can't tell when he's lying and I've worked with him for seven years now." Danny shot Chrys a look that said _don't tell, please don't tell._

"You know when he's lying? A very useful skill." Jack walked into the bullpen with some files. Danny glared at him. He really didn't want his boss and co-workers to know when he was lying.

"What are you so worried about?" Chrys asked, "You know I'm basically the only one who can tell when you're lying or not."

"How do you tell?" Jack asked, interested.

"Well you see, every time he lies, his jaw line tightens slightly." Everyone turned to look at Danny. Danny glared at them, evidently annoyed.

"Oh crap," Jack said suddenly. "I've gotta get to the airport. With traffic, I'm probably gonna be late, picking Hanna and Kate up." Jack started to head out when he turned around. "Leave the paperwork until tomorrow."

Viv was the first to get up after Jack left. "See you guys tomorrow." Next to leave were Sam and Martin.

"Have fun," Danny smirked. Martin just smiled and led Sam out the door. The room was silent. With a sigh, Chrys got up and started to collect her stuff.

"Good night," she said, walking past Danny. Danny put on a face of mock shock.

"Oh my god. You're actually being nice."

"I still hate you Danny for everything you did to me, but at least I still have the courtesy to say good night."

"I do believe that you brought everything on to yourself." Danny said coldly. Chrys looked like she had been slapped across the face.

"I apologized for that Taylor. You should be the one apologizing now. I said I was sorry. But now I see you still don't deserve it," she whispered harshly. "You have yet to learn that actions have consequences." With one last glare, Chrys spun around and stomped out of the room, leaving Danny alone to think about what she just said.


	4. Party

Somehow, Danny found himself in a club. He recognized it to be his favorite one during collage. The bass was so loud that the liquids inside the glasses were shaking. Loosing his tie and unbuttoning his top button, he slid into a seat at the bar and tried to figure out how and why he was here.

"Can I get you anything," the bartender shouted over the music. Danny shook his head, knowing it was futile for him to shout over the music and be heard. Suddenly tired, he dropped his head into his hands and groaned. Chrys just had to show up in his life!

"Looks like someone could use a little fun." A petite brunette appeared beside Danny. She was no older than 25. "Tell you what. Why don't I buy you a drink and maybe later, we can take a little visit to my apartment," she whispered sultry into his ear. Danny shook his head. As tempted as he was, he couldn't deal with another woman he would eventually pist off at the moment. The brunette pouted and ran her hand down his thigh. Slowly, Danny felt his resolve fall. Danny was just about to take her up on her offer when he thought he caught a glimpse of Chrys. He blinked to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. She was real. Chrys was wearing a red halter top that only showed a bit of cleavage and sequined jeans. She was also wearing a pair of three inch wedges. Her black hair was up in a french twist and her glasses were gone. Instead, she was wearing contacts which softened her eyes. Danny watched as one of her friends said something to her and Chrys reluctantly smiled. Then, he felt a tug at the knot of his tie. Surprised, he turned to the source. The brunette was still there. "You know you want to," she said, running her hands over Danny's chest. He grabbed her hands and looked straight into her eyes.

"No." The brunette started pouting again. She leaned forward to show Danny more cleavage.

"Come on. Just a little fun. No strings attached. I promise," she giggled. Danny was starting to get a bit annoyed.

"I said no. What part of that do you not understand?" he asked testily.

"Someone's grumpy today," she whispered flirtatiously, refusing to be turned down. "I can fix that." Now he was getting really annoyed. Why couldn't everybody just leave him alone? "You need to loosen up." The girl started to slowly untying his tie.

"I do believe he turned you down," a voice from behind Danny said. He whipped around to find Chrys leaning on the counter, watching him with an amused expression. She then turned to the bartender. "Two cosmopolitans, four vodka martinis, and a sweetened ice tea, please," she ordered. The brunette glared at her.

"Back off. I saw him first. He's mine," she snarled.

"Ok. Four points. 1) The first person to have ever seen Danny over here is the doctor that was in charge of his mother at childbirth. 2) You can't own a person. Technically it's illegal. You know slave laws and stuff. 3) You can have him cuz I really don't want him-" Danny shot her a scalding, yet desperate look. "And finally 4) He's the one that turned you down so you should be the one to back down," she finished in a bored tone.

"Leave us alone, and you will be fine."

"Are you threatening me?" Chrys asked, looking over her shoulders for the bartender and her drinks.

"I am and you might as well heed them. I have connections and on my word, they will kill you." She told her with a superior smirk.

Chrys just watched her, a smile tugging on her lips. "I really don't think you should do that." Just then, the bartender appeared with Chrys's order. She flashed him a smile and said, "Thank you." Picking up the tray, she turned to the girl and waved good-bye. Then she started to weave through he crowd back to her table.

"Don't think this is over." The brunette was shouting over the music, causing most people to stop dancing and to stare at her.

Chrys tilted her head and asked the brunette, "What's your name?"

"Brianna. And what's yours?" she sneered. Chrys set down the tray at her table.

"That's really not important."

"What are you afraid I'm gonna carry out my threat?" Brianna taunted. "Is that why you want to know my name? Are you going to report me to the cops?" Chrys could her Danny trying to shut Brianna up. Chrys sighed.

"You attract the stupidest girls. You know that?" she told Danny.

"So you're calling me stupid now are you?"

Chrys dropped her head into her hand. "Why am I helping you?" she asked Danny. "After all this time, after all the things that happened, I'm still helping you out of your messes." She shook her head. "Shows how good I am at hating someone," she muttered. He just shrugged her shoulders, unsure about how to answer.

"This wouldn't be a mess it you had just left us alone," Brianna sneered. With that last sentence, Chrys snapped.

"This is a huge waste of my time. I can here to celebrate my first day of work, which was suppose to be great, but wasn't. I wasn't in a good mood so I came here to relax and let loose. Unfortunately, I just had to run into you two. Now you're threatening to kill me and you, Danny Taylor, do not know how to shut your toys up. Let me tell you something Brianna, you aren't as tough as you think you are. You're just a pampered little princess who gets everything she wants. You don't know the outside world. You don't know the dark side of New York City. If you did, you wouldn't be threatening me, so don't come in here all high and mighty, like you own the world, cuz you know what? You don't." Chrys turned to leave, but stopped. "And one more thing. Do you really think you can live with yourself after you kill me or sent out the command? I can tell you right now that you won't be able to." The club was silent as she started to leave.

"And you can?" Brianna asked, determined to have the last word.

Chrys smiled sadly. "Yes I can." Danny watched as she walked out of the room. Noticing her friends didn't follow her, he sat undecided what to do. The crowd was buzzing and the party reinstated itself. Brianna had resumed trying to get Danny's attention. Pushing her away, he was suddenly overcome, by an urge to hold Chrys and breathe in her sweet vanillay scent. He jumped off his stool and started to walk away when Brianna grabbed his arm.

"Are you really that desperate?" he asked. Shocked, she let go. "Don't ever touch me again."

Danny hurried out of the club, hoping to catch Chrys. He peered into the darkness, but saw nothing.

"Where did she go?" Danny wondered quietly. Chrys had vanished. Simply melted into the night.

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Hehe. End of my fourth chapter. Hope you liked it. Please R&R.


	5. Memories

Hello! Just think I should tell you that this chapter is where the flashbacks begin. It may get a bit confusing and it may not. Hopefully it doesn't.

**Viv: **Yea, you really don't want to confuse your readers.

**Me: **I know.

**Sam: **I agree. It wouldn't be too good for you or your readers.

**Me: **I know already.

**Martin: **Oh! Guess what? There's gonna be some fluffy stuff between – (Viv hits him over the head)

**Viv: **Don't give away the secret.

**Martin: **But it'll come out in this chapter anyway.

**Me:** Whatever. Let's just start the story.

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Danny walked into the office early the next morning. He was quietly walking into the bullpen when he saw something that made him stop. Sam was sitting on Martin's lap, in his chair. She was toying with his hair, while they talked and occasionally kissed. With a smirk, Danny started coughing in an exaggerated fashion. Startled, Sam fell to the floor.

"Um… Good Morning," Martin said awkwardly. Sam quickly picked herself back up and straightened her clothes.

"Bit early don't you think?" Danny asked, biting back a laugh. They both glared at him. With wide eye innocence, Danny headed to his desk.

"You…you know what? I think I'm gonna get a cup of coffee," Sam said blushing while backing out of the bullpen.

"Maybe I should join you," Martin suggested, standing up. This only deepened Danny's smirk. Ignoring him, they both disappeared to the breakroom.

-------------

"How long have you been here?" Viv asked, taking off her jacket.

"About an hour," Danny told her, leaning back in his chair.

"Mmmm. So where are Sam and Martin?" she asked, noticing their jackets.

"Ooohhh. Somewhere," he answered, turning back to his paperwork.

"Uh-huh," Viv nodded slowly. "I'm getting some coffee. Want some?" Danny nodded and she headed to the breakroom. Finishing the last of his paperwork, he picked up the files and headed to the file room.

"Morning," Jack grunted, as they passed each other.

"Morning," he answered.

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An hour later, everyone was gathered around the meeting table. No case had been called in so it was one of those rare days were all they did was sit around and joke with each other. Unfortunately, there was no joking.

"Where's Chrys?" Jack asked in a bad mood. They all shrugged. "Someone call her," he commanded.

"Sure." Martin grabbed his phone and started dialing numbers. After a moment, he hung up and tried again.

"She's not picking up her home phone or her cell phone," he announced after calling a few more times.

"Sam, go check out her apartment," Jack commanded. With a nod, she grabbed her coat and left. "No wonder you hate her," Jack muttered darkly to Danny. Martin and Viv exchange looks.

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Danny stared intently at the phone, waiting for Sam to call. Meanwhile, Viv was interrogating Jack about his bad mood.

"What happened to you," she asked.

"Maria," Jack spat. She's not letting me see the girls anymore and she's taking it to court. You know how there's that required number of days which Maria has to let me see Hanna and Kate? Well, she decided that I was a bad influence to them and now I have to get a lawyer."

Martin winced as Jack's voice escalated. "That sucks."

"Yes it does," he snapped. Jack was about to continue ranting about how evil Maria was when the phone rang. Danny snatched up the phone before anyone else and answered it. They watched as Danny hung up and looked at him expectantly. Looking sick, he told them what he had just heard.

"She's not there," he said in a strangled voice, "And there's blood on the door." Martin watched him with concern.

"Are you Ok?" he asked.

((Flash back))

_He was running. Running as fast as he could. Damn his brother. Rafi just had to screw up, didn't he? He turned into the alley, hoping to find a place to hide. His feet pounded the pavement as he started to wear down. Reaching the end of the alley, he found a dead end. Frantically, he scanned the alleyway for an escape route. Seeing a garbage can, he dived behind it and held his breath. _

_"Come out, come out, where ever you are," they started calling in a singsong voice. He was terrified. Burying himself deeper behind the garbage can, he accidentally knocked it over. Everyone was quiet for a second and he prayed that the drug dealers hadn't heard him. _

_"So you feel like playing hide and seek, do you now? Well, I win." The drug dealer grabbed him by his hair and pulled him out from his spot behind the garbage. _

_"Danny Alverez, you promised to pay your brother's drug money. Unfortunately, the time had come and gone, and guess what? You still haven't paid. So now, you die." The men gathered in a half circle around Danny as cowered against the wall. He knew what was going to happen next, so he braced himself._

_Blows started to rain down on him. He tried to fight back, but there were too many. All he could do was wait until it was over. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw one of them pull out a knife. The fear was evident in his eyes. He wasn't ready to die yet!_

_"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A young girl who looked no older than ten had appeared in the alley. Her voice was light, but her eyes were flashing dangerously. She regarded them with an amused smile and an air of contempt. _

_"Oh um, good evening ma'am," one of them said, obviously flustered. _

_"His brother wouldn't pay up," another one tried to explain, indicating to Danny. _

_She nodded with a serious look on her face. "Leave him alone," she commanded with a simple tone. _

_"But…but we – I – we," they started to protest._

_She raised an eyebrow at them. "Thou protest too much, no? Don't ever go near him again, do you understand? You do? Good." With a satisfied nod, she glared at them until they ran out of the alley. Once they were gone, she rushed to the boy. "Are you Ok?" she asked. _

_"I'm fine," he snapped, trying to get up. With a cry of pain, he fell down. She went to help him, but was stopped by the venomous look he shot her. The girl nodded and sat down to wait. She watched as he tried again and again to get up, only to fail. _

_Finally, he caved. "I need your help," he admitted to her in a small voice._

_"Took you long enough," she scoffed, pulling out her phone. She called 911 and in a matter of minutes, the paramedics arrived. Quickly, they loaded Danny up and started pushing him out of the alley. _

"_Wait," he called out. The paramedic gave him an annoyed look and kept going. "Who are you," he asked. The girl was following them at a leisurely pace. _

"_Who are you?" she asked back. _

"_Danny Alverez," he told her, still expecting an answer._

"_I'll see you around Danny," she said cheerfully. They were now out of the alley. _

"_But what's your name," he asked again. _

_With a sly smile, she answered, "I'll tell you eventually." With that, she turned and started walking away, chuckling softly._

"_Wait," he shouted after her, but she had already melted into the night. All that was left was the sound of her tinkling laughter that hung in the air. _

((End of Flashback))

"Danny. Danny! DANNY!!!!!" Danny jumped.

"What?" he asked.

"I want you to join Sam and CSU at her apartment," Jack told him, looking concerned. Danny nodded and gathered up his things. "Oh, and one more thing." He turned around to look at Jack. "We're treating this like a real case, understand? I don't care how long you've known Chrys or how you know her. No emotions."

Danny forced out a short laugh. "Don't worry about me."

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"What've got?"

"Well, looks like she was assaulted in her bedroom. If you follow the blood trail, it leads to the living room and from there; it looks like she got carried out the door. She put up a fight though." Sam gestured to the broken lamp on the floor.

"Of course she would," Danny muttered. People were bustling round them, taking pictures and collecting evidence.

Sam watched them for a bit and then turned to Danny. "I'm gonna talk to the neighbors."

"Go ahead." Danny turned and walked into Chrys's room, leaving Sam to the task. Glancing around the room, he tried to find something out of place. The white sheets were stained with blood and the vase on her bedside table was on the floor, shattered into a million little pieces. CSU were everywhere, dusting for fingerprints. Danny walked around the bed to a mantle full of pictures. He started to shift the pictures with his gloved hands, looking for something. Hidden in the back was the picture he was looking for.

"Liar," he muttered with a small smile

_((Flashback))_

_Danny, Chrys, and a couple of their friends were at the school carnival. They were having a great time. They've been on every ride except for one. The dreaded ship ride. The thought of being almost upside down was not very appealing to Chrys. Danny and other had been trying to force her on that ride the entire night. Finally they managed to push her through the gates and onto the ride._

_"Noooo," she squealed, trying to run away. _

_"I don't think so," Danny laughed as he and some other guy grabbed her arms and lifted her all the way to the end with her trying to kick them. _

_"If I'm throwing up, I'm throwing up on you," Chrys told him grudgingly. _

_Thankfully though, by the end of the ride, she hadn't thrown up. Instead it was nonstop shrieking into Danny's ears._

_"See it wasn't that bad," he said shaking his head. "I just can't hear right now." _

_Chrys stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm gonna get some cotton candy." With her nose in the air, she flounced off and Danny started talking to one of his friends. _

_Out of nowhere, a weight crashed into him from behind, causing him to almost fall over. Chrys had jumped on him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. _

"_What are you doing?" he asked surprised._

"_To insure that you will never ever again force me on that ride, I have reached the decision in which I will smother you with cotton candy until the last breathe leaves your body," she answered, matter-of-factly. With an evil grin, she shoved the light pink cotton candy into his face. Chrys was cracking up while Danny turned his head to avoid it. One of their friends took out a camera._

"_You two are just too cute." Still on Danny, Chrys stuck out her tongue. _

_((End Of Flashback))_

'_Click'_ The sound of the camera shook Danny out of his daze. Trying to clear his head, he walked into the living room. He stared at the broken vase on the ground. Sam appeared beside him.

"The neighbors weren't home last night so no one saw or heard anything last night."

"And the security cameras?"

"Nothing. They're all clean," Sam told him.

"You know Sam, if all that blood is hers; she's probably dead by now."

"Don't be pessimistic."

A person's history can tell you a lot about them, wouldn't you agree? Hope you liked this chapter. R&R


	6. Madrid

Hi! New chapter up. I would like to thank my beta, Phantom Creedy Lover, but I do have a message for you. I HAVE SPELL CHECK. It really doesn't matter how I spell the words in the written draft of this story. I have spell check. Still love you though. X P

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"We have to pinpoint the exact time Chrys disappeared," Jack said, leaning on the table.

"Well, she left at about 8'o clock last night and we started calling her around 9. That would leave us 13 hours,' Martin calculated.

"No," Danny said, leaning back in his chair. "I saw her after work. If something happened to her, it was between 12 a.m. and 9 a.m."

With a nod, Jack started giving orders. "We need to narrow down the time line. Martin, Danny, interview her friends. Viv, financial records. Sam, where's Sam?"

"I'm right here and I may able to help you narrow down the time of disappearance." Sam waved a folder in the air as she breezed in. "The results from the blood analyses came back. The blood is Chrys's and forensics put the time at about 3 in the morning. They also found this." She laid an evidence bag on the table.

Jack picked it up and examined it. "It's a friendship necklace. This means we're gonna have to find her best friend." He passed the bag to Viv. "Sam, I want you to check her phone records. If there is a best friend, they probably spend a lot of time talking on the phone together." Jack watched as the evidence bag got passed to Danny. "Are you alright?" he asked, watching Danny pale noticeably.

_((Flashback))_

_It was a warm breezy day in Central Park. It was summer vacation so Danny and Chrys had nothing else better to do than to stare at clouds. _

_"That cloud has the profile of Albert Einstein," Danny said, pointing to a cloud._

_"No it doesn't. It's a strawberry," Chrys argued._

_"Everything is a strawberry to you," he teased, watching the wind blow through the trees. _

_"That is not true," she protested._

_"Yes it is."_

_"No it's not!" Chrys insisted, propping herself up on her elbow. _

_"Yes it is," Danny replied amused. With a pout, Chrys pounced on him._

_Sitting on him, she leaned down close to his face and said, "I'm not getting off of you until you agree that the cloud is a strawberry." _

_"Ok fine, it's a demented strawberry." Chrys glared at him as he smiled innocently at her. Just as she was about to speak again, Danny rolled to the side, causing her to fall to the ground. Then Danny climbed on top of her and pinned her arms down. "You know what? Since I have the upper hand now, I think I'll stick to Albert Einstein."_

_"You won't have the upper hand for long Danny," she told him, trying to wiggle her way from under him._

_"Oh really?" Danny asked, cocking his eyebrow._

_"Really." Chrys kneed him in the stomach and pushed him to the ground, knocking the breath out of Danny._

_"I hate you," he moaned as she giggled next to him. _

_"No you don't. Deep down, you love me."_

_"Yea. Really deep. I'm still digging," Danny joked. _

_"I'm hurt," she said, pretending to be shocked._

_"I bet you are," he muttered sarcastically. Both were silent as they listened to the birds chirping and the rustling of the trees. "Can I ask you a question?" Danny raised himself so he could look at Chrys._

_"That was a question, but sure. Ask away." _

_"We're best friend, right?"_

_"The bestest."_

_"That's not a word." Danny paused for a moment. "I want to give you something." He pulled out a box and handed it to Chrys. _

_"It's beautiful," she cried, opening the box. In it laid a silver necklace. On it was her birthstone. An emerald. It said 'Ends Forever' on it. "Ends Forever? That's not good," she joked, pulling the necklace out. _

_"I have the other half," Danny said, pulling another necklace out. This one had a masculine feel to it. "See. Best Friends Forever."_

_((End of Flashback))_

"Um, Danny?" Martin poked at him.

"Whaa?" Danny looked around. Everyone was giving him a concerned stare. He tried to smile, but didn't succeed. "Don't worry about the best friend," he told them, looking down.

"Why?" Viv asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it. He has nothing to do with this." Danny turned to Martin. "I'll see you in the car." Then he got up and left. After a pause, Jack realized something.

"Wait. How does Danny know the best friend is a guy? We don't even know who that person is." Silence answered him.

--------------

Danny and Martin stood outside the Empire State Building.

"Let's get this over with," Danny muttered. They proceeded to the 32 floor, flashing their badges to get by security.

"Excuse me ma'am. We need to see Miss Walters," Martin said politely to the receptionist.

"She's busy right now," she informed him in a nasally voice. "Please have a seat in our waiting area."

"We're FBI."

"So what?" she asked, sounding bored. "Miss Walters is unable to attend to you right now," she snapped, lazily. Martin sighed and looked at Danny. He was unusually quiet. By now, he should've charmed the receptionist into letting them in. Reluctantly, he stepped up to the desk. Danny flashed a smile, and was about to speak when he got interrupted.

"Danny Taylor! It has been a long time." Danny cringed and turned around.

"Hi Mimi," he greeted while glaring at Martin, daring him to ask the question Danny knew he wanted to ask.

Deciding to heed Danny's warning, Martin turned to Mimi. "Madeline Walters?" he asked. She nodded. "When was the last time you saw Chrysanthemum?"

She looked surprised by the question. "Chrys? Last night at the bar."

"And do you know anyone who would hurt her?" Martin asked seriously. Mimi laughed.

"Chrys? Are you serious? Like anyone would be brave enough to try to hurt Chrys."

"Why is that?" Martin asked curiously. Danny had gone back to being unusually quiet. "I mean she is pretty and she does have a sense of delicateness about her. I bet a lot of guys would try to take advantage of her. With all the psychos in the world, anyone of them could have kidnapped Chrys."

Mimi laughed. "Hon, a panther can look pretty and delicate. That doesn't mean you pet it though." She paused for a moment to consider something. "Unless of course you're Danny boy over there." She smiled slyly at him. Martin followed her glance to Danny. His eyes were open wide, looking slightly panicked. "But then again, what happens in Madrid, stays in Madrid…or so they say."

_((Flashback))_

_Mimi had invited as many people as she could fit into a private plan to Madrid with her. It was non-stop partying in Spain. Relying mostly on Danny's Spanish, they jumped from party to party, club to club. That night though, they stayed at the bar at their hotel. Chrys and Danny had left early and while in the elevator, Chrys got an idea._

_"Wanna go swimming?" she asked Danny. The hotel pool was in a secluded area, away from everything and shielded by trees._

_"Are you crazy? It's 1a.m." he said incuriously. _

_"So is that a yes or a no?" she asked impatiently._

_Danny shrugged. "Sure why not?"_

_"Great! Meet you at the pool in 10"_

_--------------_

_By the time Danny arrived at the poolside, Chrys was already there, lounging in a pool chair, watching the stars._

"_You know, no one's here," she said nonchalantly, standing up. As hard as he tried, Danny couldn't stop himself from eyeing her shapely legs, her slim waist, and higher. _

"_So?" he questioned while mentally slapping himself. _

"_Let's go skinny dipping," she said with a wicked grin. His eyes widened. _

"_What?" he choked out. She started playing with the strings to her bikini_

"_Don't tell me you're shy?" she pouted, as her top slid off. Danny opened his mouth and closed it again, unable to say anything. He turned his head to hide his blushing face. He stared intently at the rippling surface of the pool, trying hard not to look at Chrys. With a smirk, Chrys pulled at the stings to her bottom and it dropped off to. "I'm just kidding," she laughed. "You don't have to join me." She blew Danny a kiss and jumped in. _

"_What the hell am I doing?" he muttered to himself. He quickly stepped out of his swim suit and dived in. "You are going to pay for making me do this," Danny growled when his head popped back out of the water._

"_I didn't make you do anything. Besides, you have to catch me first," Chrys taunted from across the pool. With swift, strong stokes, Danny caught up to her in no time at all. Before he reached her though, he dived under water and pulled her feet out from under her. With a shriek, she went under. When she popped back up, Danny was holding his side, cracking up. _

"_Oh! I am now sooo going to drown you," Chrys said with a venomous glint in her eyes. _

"_No way!" Danny quickly back paddled, moving away from her. Chrys chased after him._

_After a few more minutes of horseplay, Danny got the upper and. He caught Chrys from behind. With his arms around her waist, she turned around to face him, her bare body pressing against his. _

_Danny had always had a crush on Chrys, but he didn't realize how deeply his feelings ran until that night. She looked up at him with her green eyes playful yet serious at the same time. Gently, he lifted her chin up and leaned down to kiss her. In that split second before their lips met, a huge wave of water splashed over both of them. _

"_Did you really think we'd let you have all the fun," Mimi asked. Some more people had peeled off their swimsuits and jumped in. Chrys forced out a giggle and Danny only managed to grimace._

"_I'm feeling tired," Chrys lied. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Have fun." She climbed out of the pool and quickly wrapped a towel around herself, but not before some guys wolf whistled at her. Danny watched as she grabbed her bathing suit and walked away. Then something cold touched his arm, startling him._

"_Come on. Let's have some fun," Mimi said, putting her arms around him. _

"_I think I've had enough for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow." He excused himself and climbed out. Danny wrapped a towel around himself and gathered up his bathing suit. Then he walked away, following Chrys's path._

_((End of Flashback))_

"…and you two looked pretty cozy before we showed up, too," Mimi added. Danny refused to look at either of them, the tips of his ears bright red.

"Um…Ok," Martin nodded. This wasn't exactly the information he needed, but it was interesting.

"Hey! I never got to ask you." Mimi turned to Danny. "Did you and Chrys get busy that night?" Danny pretended not to hear and started whistling while turning bright red.

"Right. Thank you. Call me if you remember anything else." Martin handed her his business card.

"Have a nice day!' she chirped, escorting them to the door. "Bye." She slammed the door in their faces.

After recovering from the shock of being thrown out, Martin turned to ask Danny about the story Mimi had told them. Unfortunately, he found nothing but air. Danny was literally sprinting down the stairs. Debating whether to follow him or not, Martin decided to take the elevator.

--------------

Martin walked out of the building to find Danny waiting by the car. Martin unlocked the door and they got in. He sat behind the wheel and toyed with the keys.

"It's very easy, you know," Danny said impatiently. "You just slid the key in and turn. Martin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, debating whether to ask Danny about the story now, later, or never.

Before he could stop himself though, "Skinny dipping?" Danny glared at him. "I thought you guys were just friend."

"We were," Danny answered quietly.

"But skinny dipping?!?!?"

"Yes! Skinny dipping," Danny snapped. They were both quiet for a moment.

"So did anything happen?" Martin asked cautiously.

"No," he muttered, looking out the window. Martin could have sworn he heard a hint of disappointment in Danny's voice.

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Haha. The end of another chapter. Chinese New Year is Sunday. Hip Hip Hooray! Hope you liked this chapter. The plot thickens doesn't it? Hmm… Well until next time. Bye- bye

P.S. Don't forget to review.


	7. Hidden

I haven't gotten a lot of reviews lately and that makes me sad…but I would like to thank Phantom Creedy Lover, my beta. Hmm, I'll get over it. I'm gonna making brownies. Yay brownies.

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_8 hours missing_

_((Bullpen))_

As soon as Danny and Martin got back, Jack gathered them around the meeting table

"What've got."

"Well, her phone and financial records gave us nothing," Sam said. "No strange withdrawal and no unusual amount of phone calls to or from a certain person. Actually, she hardly uses the phone at all which makes it harder to find the best friend." Danny noticeably stiffened at her words.

"Her friends gave us absolutely nothing," Martin said, throwing a file on the table. "Everyone keeps saying that she can defend herself and no one in their right mind would try to harm her.

"What we need to do is to find Chrys's best friend," Viv said solemnly.

"True, but no one seems to know who that is," Jack said frustrated.

"What if – what if there is no best friend?" Danny asked carefully.

"There's the necklace," Sam pointed out.

"Well no one seems to know the person, so maybe they are no longer best friends."

"Begs the question, why keep the necklace?" Jack said.

"Ok…what if it's a revenge kidnapping. She broke off her friendship with whomever it was and pisted them off." Martin leaned in so he was closer to the team. "The person bottles up their anger until finally, this happen."

"That could happen. Wouldn't be the first time." Viv nodded in agreement.

"But what is it didn't happen that way?" Danny asked. "What if it was the best friend that betrayed Chrys? What if he was the one that broke the promises? Then that would mean that their friendship would have nothing to do with this."

"Not true," Sam put in, "What if that person tried to apologize and she refused to take the apology. Their angry, so they set out for revenge."

"But what if he has nothing to do with this?" Danny asked, visibly agitated.

Watching Danny, Jack asked, "Why do you keep calling the best friend 'he' or 'him'? Chrys is a girl so we would naturally think that her best friend is a girl. How do you know that person is a guy?"

"I…um…I might have known him," Danny said after a slight hesitation.

"Who is he?" Jack demanded to know.

"Erm…I can't tell you?" The inflection in Danny's voice made the statement sound like a question

"You need to tell us," Viv said gently as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I can't," he said helplessly, avoiding their eyes. Martin sat there and watched Danny, something nagging him in the back of his mind. Then realization hit him like a freight train.

"You're her best friend," Martin exclaimed, sitting up. Everyone snapped their attention to Martin. "You're her best friend," he repeated excitedly. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together. "That's why you kept defending her best friend and that explains how you knew it was a guy. It's you!"

"No way," Viv said in disbelief.

"Yes, yes, yes," Martin insisted, now very excited. "Now it all makes sense. The tension between the two of you when Chrys first came yesterday and the reaction to the necklace. Hell, even Mimi's story makes sense now!"

"Who's Mimi?" they all asked.

"One of her friends," Martin waved off. "She was talking about the whole Madrid incident. It totally makes sense now!"

"Madrid?" Sam asked, wrinkling up her nose.

"Of course. You don't go skinny dipping with just anyone." There was silence.

"Skinny dipping?" Jack asked in a choked voice. Martin was about to answered when Danny shot him a glare.

"Never mind," he said quickly.

"Wait! Danny went skinny dipping with Chrys? You mean Danny as in the Danny sitting in front of me and Chrys as in the missing person went skinny dipping…together?" Sam asked incredulously.

Danny cleared his throat. "Maybe."

Shaking his head, Jack returned to the main subject. "So you're her best friend?"

After a moment, he nodded uneasily. "Well more like ex-best friend."

"How do we know that's true?" Jack asked suspiciously. Glaring at him, Danny loosened his tie. Then he stuck his hand into his collar and pulled out a chain and unclasped it.

"Here," he said, placing it on the table. The necklace was similar to Chrys's. Sam picked it up.

"Why are you still wearing it?" she asked.

"The same reason Chrys still has hers. We promised each other we would never take it off and after all these years, is still doesn't feel right." Sam nodded and gave the necklace back to him.

"Well this certainly is a twist," Viv remarked as Danny put the necklace back on.

"I am inclined to agree," Jack said. "Do you know anyone who would try to hurt Chrys?" he directed at Danny.

Danny answered him. "No I don't. Like all her friends say, no one would mess with Chrys. She knows how to defend herself very and she has a temper…an explosive temper."

"Everyone keeps saying that no one would hurt her. How are you guys so sure?" Sam asked.

"Ah…family relations," he said nervously. They all glared at him. "Her brother is one of the most powerful man in politics and also one of the most powerful men in the dark side of the world, shall we say. No one messes with her because if they do, her brother would send his dogs after them. Chrys is his favorite sister and if anyone tries to hurt her, let's just say there would be dire consequences."

"Bring him in."

--------------

_10 hours missing_

_((Interrogation room))_

"Where's your sister?"

"My sister? How should I know, Agent Malone?" Henry Smith replied in a bored tone.

"I don't like your attitude Mr. Smith. Your sister's missing and you don't seem to care." Henry glared at him.

"I do care." His cold blue eyes flashed in way that wasn't unlike Chrys's. "I just work a bit…differently than you do." They glared at each other, daring the other to blink first.

"And how do you operate Mr. Smith?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

Before he could answer though, Danny stuck his head into the room. "Jack, we got something."

"Danny Taylor," Henry greeted in a booming voice. "How _nice_ to see you."

"Same here," Danny greeted back, sarcastically.

"You do realize this is all your fault," he said conversationally.

"And so is global warming."

"She changed her name because of you."

"I know, I know. It's because I gave her the idea. Jack, we really need you." Danny slipped back out the door.

His curiosity peaked, he turned to Henry. "Make yourself comfortable. We're not finished." Jack got up and gathered up his files. Then he left the room, another agent coming in to take his place in the interrogation room. As soon as he saw Danny, waiting outside the door, he shot him a questioning look.

"He blames me for everything," Danny said with a shrug.

"Why?"

"Henry doesn't believe that his beloved sister could do anything wrong, so in denial, he blames me."

"So who'd he blame before you?"

"Anyone he could." Jack grunted and pushed the glass door to the tech room open.

"Anything new?" The team and Stan the tech guy turned their heads to regard Jack.

"About an hour ago, someone dropped off a letter," Stan informed him, turning back to the computer.

"And?" Jack pressed.

"Well, Forensics is done with it. No usable prints or DNA samples. The font is Times New Roman, size 12. They used a laser printer which can be bought anywhere."

"Have you read the letter yet?"

"That's why we were waiting for you boss." Stan clicked on something on the computer. "There was a picture that came along with the letter, too." Instantly, a picture was enlarged on the screen.

Chrys was sitting with her back against the wall. A newspaper with the current date was propped up against her. Her hands were tied behind her and her legs were also tied together. She was wearing a white tank top, stained with blood and purple pajama pants. On her left temple, there was a nasty gash, but it looked stitched up. There was nothing telltale about her surroundings. The wall was beige and had no distinctive traits. Chrys had a pist off expression on her face.

"I told you she had a temper," Danny said softly, trying to reassure himself.

Jack glanced at him. Danny was a tad bit too pale at the moment. "The letter." Stan nodded and clicked on something else.

_Dear Whomever This Letter Concerns,_

_First off, I would like to tell all of you that Chrys is perfectly safe. But really this letter is truly addressed to Danny Taylor. This is not a ransom note in case you were wondering. Now on with the real reason._

_You see Danny boy, I have your princess. And a very pretty princess she is. Wouldn't it just break your heart if she died? Of course, it'd take more than a head wound, a few bruises, some scratches, and extreme blood loss to stop Chrys. But then again, head wounds do bleed a lot. Ah well. Unfortunately for you though, this is not the point of the letter. Let me put it this way. You know me and I know you. I despise you and have been despising you for quite a time now. Currently, my only objective is to cause you pain, and what better way than to take your princess. You may be asking why I chose this time to take her, but I have my reasons. The thing is Danny, she came back to you. Even after all this time, somehow, inadvertently, she came back to you. Even after all the pain you caused her. Of course it was suppose to hurt you more than her, but still; where it all began._

_((Flashback))_

_He had had enough. It just wasn't worth it anymore. What was the point? Every night, he would go to a club or party and get wasted. Every morning, he would wake up next to some girl whose name he didn't even know and certainly didn't remember meeting. Everyday, he would hide behind his mask, pretending everything was fine and that he wasn't hungover. He would smile and charm the teachers while ignoring the pounding in his head. Life seemed to be treating him nicely on the outside, but it wasn't._

_Danny slowly twirled a penknife between his fingers. With a flash, he slit his left wrist. It wasn't very deep, just deep enough to make it bleed. He watched as the blood steamed across his wrist and onto the table. After a few moments, the bleeding stopped. Danny raised the knife again and once again cut himself, making the wound slightly deeper. Again and again, he repeated in this fashion, each time, waiting for the wound to close and slicing deeper and deeper. After a while, he switched hands, and started the ritual on his right wrist. Then someone knocked on his dorm room door._

_"Danny come on! We're gonna be late! We don't want to miss the party and you promised we would watch the fireworks together," Chrys said, banging forcefully on the door. It was New Year's Eve. Danny's first in college. It had been Chrys's last year in high school and even though they hardly got a chance to see each other during the week, they always hung out at least once during the weekend, thus maintaining their friendship. Danny cursed to himself silently. He had forgotten that he had promised her they would hang out on New Year's Eve. His wrists were still bleeding as he tried to get up. Instantly, he was hit with a wave of dizziness from his blood loss causing him to sit back down. Danny could hear the jingling of her keys as she unlocked the door. Once again, he cursed at himself. He just had to give her a key. Frantically, he started to clean up the blood. Unfortunately, he wasn't very successful. The pain was making it hard for him to move his hands._

_Chrys burst through the door, with a bright smile. Her cheeks, nose, and ears were bright red from the winter winds. When she saw the blood, her smile faltered._

_"What are you doing?" she asked weakly her eyes wide open, taking in the scene in front of her. _

_"There's no point anymore Chrys. There's just no point anymore," Danny said tiredly. "There's no point," he repeated softly. Chrys stared at him, wordlessly. He knew he looked pathetic. Danny glanced up at her and saw something he never saw before. She was scared. Actually scared for him. He hated himself for making her feel that way. Fear was nothing Chrys ever expressed. Making her express it meant that the situation absolutely terrified her. _

_Chrys watched quietly as a flood of emotions ran through Danny's face. She was afraid of what was going to happen to Danny. Of all the years she had known him, he never struck her as suicidal. _

_Danny started swaying in his chair. Chrys knew she had to do something. She gently wrapped her arms around his chest and helped him to the sofa. Laying him down, she told him to keep his arms up. Scanning the room, she found the first aid kit. Quickly, she took out the anesthetic and the gauze. Swiftly, she started cleaning his wounds, ignoring Danny's whimpers of pain._

_"I'm sorry Chrys," Danny said in a small voice. "I just couldn't take it anymore." Chrys was silent. As she started bandaging his left wrist, she scraped her nails against his wound, purposely causing him to wince._

_"Do you remember our promise?" she asked quietly. Danny cringed at the tone of her voice. He would really rather if she yelled at him. The calm tone was sort of painful to hear. "We promised to be there for each other and tell each other everything. We promised that if one of us needed help, we would go to the other. Friends forever. Now how is that suppose to go on if you're dead?" Danny could tell that she was furious. _

_"I'm sorry," he said miserably._

_"Don't talk. You need to get your rest," she said in a clipped tone, as she finished up. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow." She got up and closed the first aid box. Then she placed the box on the table and headed to the door. With her hand on the door knob, she paused and turned around. "One more thing. Save your apologies until you really mean them." She opened the door and stepped out, slamming the door shut after her._

_((End of Flashback))_

_Don't you remember? I bet you do. Didn't really expect it to come out, did ya? You hid it deep in your mind, forcing yourself to forget, but things like that don't go away easily, Danny boy. Unfortunately, I must go…hm maybe fortunately for you, but don't think this is the last letter. I have a goal in these letters and it will be fulfilled._

_ Guess Who_

"And that's all there is to it," Stan said as soon as the letter ended. The room was quiet; everyone trying to absorb the information they had just read. Danny was as white as a sheet and wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.

"Was his story true?" Jack finally asked. Danny just looked at the floor, refusing to say anything. "So you did try to kill yourself."

Danny snapped his head up to look at Jack, his eyes blazing. "That was a long time ago." He turned around and walked out of the room.

Danny quickly walked into the men's room, hoping for some privacy. When he was sure nobody was there, he turned on the faucet and leaned against the sink. His eyes darted from side to side as he tried to figure out how he found out about his suicide attempt in college. He never tried again, of course; knowing he would hurt Chrys even more if he did. He never told anyone though, so how did that person know? He was pretty sure Chrys never told anyone either. Even though, their friendship was never truly restored after that incident, it was a secret that would die with the two of them and only the two of them. Danny dipped his hand into the water and splashed some on his face. Chrys would never tell, would she? Of course not. She would never break her promise. She had a strong sense of duty and she wouldn't betray him…at least he hoped not. Did he really know Chrys anymore? It had been a long time since they've seen each other, much less talk. He tightened his grip on the sink. Damn Chrys for going missing, damn Jack for asking him those questions, damn whoever took Chrys for bringing up the memories.

"Are you Ok?" Danny turned his head to find Martin leaning against the wall, watching him with concern.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, turning back to the mirror above the sink.

"You sure don't look fine to me."

"Thank you, Einstein." He ran his hand over his face and turned to Martin. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit…off right now."

"It's alright. I don't think I would have handled it the way you did if Jack started asking me those questions. I do something along the line of telling him to fuck off and it was none of his business." Danny snorted and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Yea right Fitzy. I always got the impression that if Jack did ask you those questions, you'd run to daddy dearest," he joked

Martin thought for a moment. "Hmm, probably." Danny shook his head and cracked a smile. "Come on. Everyone's waiting and Jack probably wants to talk to you alone." The smile disappeared.

Danny sighed. "Well, might as well get this over with." He dried his face and followed Martin out of the bathroom. "I'll see you later," he said half-heartedly to Martin as they stopped at the door to Jack's office. Martin nodded and headed to the bullpen. He pushed open the door.

Jack looked up and took off his glasses. "Sit," he commanded, pointing to the chair. Danny sat down, but instead of trying to explain the situation like he usually does, he sat waited for Jack's questions. "Was the letter true?"

"Yes," he answered some-what meekly. Jack pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Danny, I don't think you should stay on this case." Instead of the explosive response he had expected from Danny, he got a quiet answer.

"I need to stay," he said quietly. He didn't push. He didn't have to.

"Um well..ah," Jack wasn't really sure how to answer that. Explosive tempers, he could have handled, but a quiet response wasn't something he dealt with often.

"Please Jack, this is something I need to do." Jack started tapping his pen.

"Ok, but you have to promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"I promise," Danny said with a small smile on his lips, "but you're going to have to define stupid."

Jack broke into a grin. "Get outta here."

"If you insist." Danny stood up. "Thanks Jack, for letting me stay." He pushed the glass door open and headed toward the bullpen. They still had a case to solve.

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I think the last part was a bit OoC for Danny, but that's Ok. I hope you like this chapter. It's a bit depressing isn't it? And that's sort of ironic since I'm 4ever Optimistic. Oh well. A note to Phantom Creedy Lover: You've notice the flashback is a bit familiar? Yes I did get the inspiration from a certain hyperactive blonde that we both know. To all: Remember to review.


	8. Promises

Sorry I didn't update last week. I was starting another story. And a note, if you watch the first episode of the second season, 'The Bus', near the middle when Jack's about to pay the ransom except it doesn't happen etc., Danny's dressed up as a groundskeeper and if you look closely, he's actually wearing a silver chain. You can see it when he's raking the leaves and I just noticed that.

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_13 hours missing_

_((Bullpen))_

"Are you alright?" Sam asked as soon as Danny sat down.

"I'm fine," he replied, forcing a smile. She nodded and decided to leave it alone.

"What can we tell from the video?" Jack asked, walking into the bullpen with printouts of the letter.

"Vendetta," Vivian automatically said. "A huge vendetta against Danny. Who ever it is obviously knew Danny."

"I think it might be a guy."

"Why do you think that?" Jack asked, not criticizing Sam, but wanting to know the reason.

"Like Viv said, the person has a personal vendetta against Danny. Who ever it is said that Chrys kept returning to Danny. It's obvious whoever it was might have had an obsession with Chrys."

"It still could've been a girl though," Martin argued.

"But like Danny said, Chrys had a temper. If she did, I doubt a woman could've overpowered her. Besides, they teach you how to defend yourself in Quantico for a reason."

"So what if it was a group of girls?" Viv asked. Sam shrugged.

"I guess I could happen, but they're definitely from Danny's past."

"How do you see that?"

"Whoever it was knew about his past and they're using it to get to Danny" They hummed their agreement to Sam's point. Danny sighed. They had no idea who took Chrys and where she was. The clock was ticking, and Danny couldn't figure it out. He strained his memory, trying to remember small details in the picture or letter that would help him identify the kidnapper.

"Stitches," he muttered, rubbing his lips. He snapped his fingers. "Stitches," he said again, louder. They all looked at him.

"Stitches?" Jack asked."

"In the picture, Chrys had stitches." Danny walked up to Jack and pulled out the picture from his file and put it on the desk. "Look, right here." He pointed at her temple. "Chrys has stitches. That means whoever it is, they're either a doctor, know a doctor, or are stupid enough to take her to the hospital. I favor the first two." They observed the picture.

"You might have something there," Viv said. "Do you know any doctors?" She directed the question to Danny. He slowly shook his head. Something was bothering him. The letter seemed really familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Give me the letter, will you?" Jack handed him the letter. Danny read it slowly, hoping something would jump start his memory. It seemed so familiar.

"Princess," he muttered, "princess." He rubbed his forehead, concentrating on that phrase. There was someone he knew that always used that phase, but who was it. then it hit him.

_((Flashback))_

_It was Danny's last year in high school. They were at a job fair, being held at the gym. He grabbed a pamphlet off of a random table and started reading._

_"'Do you want an awarding and fulfilling job?'" he read out loud, "'Then join the Post Office today!" Chrys giggled._

_"I can see you in one of those uniforms," she teased. Danny scoffed and threw the pamphlet away._

_"I'm aiming for something a bit higher," he said, looking at one of the stands._

_"I know, I know," she sighed, "lawyer,"_

_"Yes. A.D.A Taylor or maybe Taylor & Associates."_

_"Well if you open your own law firm, you better give me a discount," she joked, hooking her arm through his. _

_"We'll see." They stopped in front of a table._

_"Are you really sure you don't want to be an FBI agent with me?" she asked, looking up at him. Danny chuckled._

_"We already went over this Chrys. If my lawyer career doesn't work out, I'll join the FBI with you. I promise." Danny smiled at the disappointed sigh she gave. He knew she had always wanted to be an FBI agent. After her life with her brother, she wanted to see what it was like to be one of the good guys. There was also the point that she loved the FBI seal. Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity. "And even if the lawyer thing works out, we may still have a chance to work together on one of your cases," he added._

_"That's only is you become an A.D.A., though," she pointed out._

_"Well we might get a chance to work against each other is I open a law firm then," Danny said, leading her away from the table._

_"Well, at least I get to kick your ass in public," she said sadly._

_"Like you don't already do that already," Danny snorted. They stared to aimlessly walk around the fair again. Both of them already knew their future so there was no point. _

_"Hey princess!" An arm suddenly snaked its way around Chrys's waist, pulling her away from Danny. "Tonight's prom. How 'bout you and me go together and later we can do a lil somethin' together."_

_"Get away from me," she snarled, pushing the hand away. "I told you once and I'll tell you again. I'm not interested in you or your greasy little head full of sick ideas. I have a date for the prom and I would prefer it if you went away and leave me and my date alone." Danny slung a protective arm over her shoulders, pulling her close to him. "Now if you please," she said politely, "my date and I need to go prepare."_

_((End of Flashback))_

"Jeremy Spencer."

"Who?" Jack asked.

"Jeremy Spencer," Danny repeated, "He always had a thing for Chrys and I think he became a plastic surgeon. He certainly could've stitched up her head." Martin rolled his chair to his desk and typed in the name.

"Ok, Jeremy Spencer. No past record. He's never even gotten a speeding ticket. He's a plastic surgeon and has his own clinic called _The Princess's Beauty Clinic_. How original. Spencer lives in his own apartment in the city," Martin read from the computer.

Jack bowed his head a bit. "Martin, Viv, I want you guys visit his apartment. Danny, check all his record, phone, financial, for any sign of suspicious activities. Sam, you come with me. We are going to get a consultation."

--------------

_17 hours missing_

"I've got nothing," Martin said, placing his coat on his chair.

"Same here," Danny grumbled.

"How did you guys do?' Martin asked Jack as soon as he saw him walking in.

"No one has seen him in over two days," he answered, frustrated. Though Jack had experienced many strange things over the years, he had never had one of his agents snatched from under his nose after just their first day. "How about you guys?"

"He wasn't at his apartment," Viv told him, "and there was nothing suspicious there. Spencer's neighbors hadn't seen him for a while."

"One thing I've learned is that this man is cheap," Danny said. He's got a few million bucks in his bank, and the only thing he uses it for is his apartment and food. He charged everything to credit card which hasn't been active the last few days. He's completely fallen off the map. He doesn't even own a car which means an APB is useless."

"So how are we going to find him?" Sam asked.

"Maybe he's working with someone," Viv suggested.

"But who?" Danny started tapping his fingers on the desk. Who could it be? If he remembered correctly, Jeremy was always the guy that all the girls swooned at. If he was anything today like he was then, he could probably get any girl to do his bidding. A wry smile formed on Danny's lips. Of course, not every girl swooned as he came walking by. He remembered a time when Chrys slapped Jeremy across the face for looking at her the wrong way.

"What are you smiling at?" Martin asked.

Danny blinked a few times. "What? Oh, nothing."

"You don't smile at nothing." He glared at Martin. Fortunately, he was saved from answering from another agent.

"Agent Malone?" he asked.

Jack looked up from the pile of paper he was going through. "Yes?"

"Tech needs you." Jack nodded, dismissing the agent. Then he looked at the team.

"Let's go."

-------------

_18 hours missing_

"We have another message," Stan said as soon as Jack entered the room. "This one's a bit different though. Instead of a letter, he sent a CD. Forensics went through it already, and there was nothing."

"Not even a partial print?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Only the mailman's," he answered. "It was a new CD, so there was nothing underneath to give us a clue."

"Well…," Jack glanced at Danny, "Let's listen to it." Stan nodded and clicked play.

_"Danny Taylor. It's probably foolish for me to send a CD to you, but I couldn't resist. I really just wanted you to hear your princess scream."_

"Definitely Spencer," Danny hissed.

_"Now let me see. What should I do to make her scream." There was a pause, and then a whimper so low, they could hardly hear it._

_"Not going to scream? Fine there are other ways." This time there was a muffled shriek._

Danny started to clench and unclench his hand. Chrys wasn't weak. She would never give in to anyone's order easily. What the hell was he doing to her?

_"Now say hello to your Danny boy," he commanded. Once again, there was silence until they heard what would be described as a slapping sound. "Now will you say it?" There was a sigh._

_"You people are so demanding."_

Danny froze up when he heard her voice. This meant Chrys was still alive.

_"What do you want me to say?" she asked rudely. Another slap. "Such violent people," she taunted. "You guys need anger management classes. I never thought you two would ever get together though. Jeremy and Madeline. Jerry and Mimi. Interesting couple."_

_"Shut up," he roared. There was a sound of crashing and a door slamming shut. "Now that she's gone, let's get back on track. As you know, the reasons for these messages are to help you _remember _certain things that I'm sure you never really forgot. I've watched you Danny. I've watched you move on and pretend nothing was wrong, but something was, deep down. You were just really good at hiding it. Actually, both you and Chrys were good at hiding it. That was, until the graduation party._

_((Flashback))_

_It had been almost two months since Danny's attempt. Chrys had eventually resumed speaking to him, but things were always tense. Whenever they hung out together, she would always inspect his wrists for self inflicted wounds from afar, and there was always someone else there with them. They've grown apart. Both of them tried to pretend everything was alright, but beneath the surface they put on for each other, they knew nothing would change what had happened and nothing would heal their torn friendship. Silence was all they shared._

_It was night after Chrys's high school graduation when Danny finally realized just how far they had drifted from each other. She had invited him to the after party, but only as a formality and he didn't really actually wanted to go. _

_The music was pounding and the lights were flashing as he leaned against the bar. Danny had decided that just for tonight, he wouldn't even think about touching alcohol. He really didn't want to ruin the night for Chrys. He was just going to go up to her, give her a peck on the cheek, tell her how proud he was and leave. Nothing more, nothing less. His attention drifted a bit when a blonde past him, swishing her hips. He shook his head, bringing himself back into focus. With a tired sigh, he pushed off the counter and started fighting his way through the crowd. It was time to go congratulate her. She had been accepted into Yale, although she wasn't really sure whether she wanted to go or not._

_Slowly, Danny managed to worm his was through the jostling crowd. He had expected to find Chrys dancing or drinking with her friends. Instead, he found something completely different._

_From day one, both Danny and Chrys hated Jeremy Spencer. Chrys would always hiss with disgust when ever he passed them. From his greasy blond hair to his boastful manner to those blue eyes that were always saying 'I'm the best. You can't resist me,' both Chrys and Danny hated him. What Danny saw nearly made him double over. It had felt like someone had socked him in the stomach._

_Chrys was sitting on Jeremy's lap, playing with his greasy hair. Meanwhile, one of his hands had slipped under her shirt and was roaming. Occasionally, they would kiss, making the crowd around them hoot. Danny stood there watching as he forced himself to breathe. I couldn't be Chrys…could it? The Chrys he knew hated PDA. After a moment, he couldn't take it anymore. He elbowed his way through the small crowd that separated them._

_"We need to talk," Danny nearly growled, grabbing hr arm. _

_"No! Go away!" she answered, slightly slurring her words._

"_We. Need. To. Talk," he repeated through clenched teeth, tugging at her arm._

_"I believe the princess said no," Jeremy sneered, his goons starting to surround them. Danny shook his head and pulled her to her feet while grimacing. "You can't do that," Jeremy whined loudly. Danny smirked._

_"I believe I just did," he said coolly, pulling Chrys along. Stupidly, Jeremy got up and tried to punch Danny. He ducked and punched him in the gut, putting all of his anger into that punch. With a soft groan, Jeremy fell to the floor. "Next time, it'll be your face, pretty boy." Everyone stared at Danny in shock. Even Jeremy's goons didn't try to stop him as he pulled Chrys through the crowd._

_"Come on," he mumbled as he led her toward the back of the club. He pushed open the door to the alley and spun around to face her. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked sharply, letting go of her arm. Standing on her own, Chrys seemed unable to stay upright. She stumbled and fell into Danny. Catching her, he smelled alcohol. "Are you drunk?" She batted his hand away and took a minute to steady herself before she answered._

_"What's it to ya?" she slurred. He frowned._

_"You're drunk. Let me take you home." Danny was worried. Chrys was never one to drink. She found it tasted bad. _

_"No!" she shouted, swaying slightly_

_"You don't know what you're talking about. Let me take you home," he said in an almost begging manner. Her eyes flashed._

_"I don't need your help," she snapped._

_"Like hell you don't. You're drunk and just a moment ago; you were in there, fooling around with Jeremy who by the way you hate."_

_"I don't hate him," she slurred._

_"I don't get it Chrys. He's no good for you. What are you doing?" Danny asked, visibly angry. Refusing to look at him, Chrys started swaying again. He caught her before she fell. "What are you doing?" he asked softly. As drunk as she was, Chrys pushed him away and started shouting. _

_"What am I doing? What am I doing? I'm doing exactly what I want to," she shouted._

_Danny raised his voice. "He's no good for you Chrys. Listen to me."_

_"Listen to you? LISTEN TO YOU?" she shrieked. "You're telling me he's not good for me. Well, you know what? I can tell you a lot of thing that aren't good for you Taylor, but do you listen? I tell you time after time, to stop drinking. What do you do? You go out there and get yourself wasted. I keep telling you you do stupid thing when you're wasted, but do you listen? Of course not! Every morning, you wake up next to someone new. I know your habits Taylor. DON'T tell me what's good for me or not." By now, Chrys was nearly hysterical and Danny was seething with anger._

_"I'm trying to help you," he snapped, trying to keep his temper in check. "Why won't you let me help you? You know what I'm saying is true, so why won't you let me help you!"_

_"STOP!!" she screamed, tears running down her face. "STOP IT! DON'T HELP ME! YOU CAN'T EVEN HELP YOURSELF! INSTEAD OF DEALING WITH YOUR PROBLEMS, YOU DROWN THEM IN ALCOHOL!!! WELL, REALITY CHECK. YOUR JUST MAKING IT WORST. INSTEAD OF COMING TO ME FOR HELP, YOU DECIDE TO TRY TO KILL YOURSELF. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR YOU DANNY!!!!! ALWAYS!!!! I _TRIED _TO HELP YOU!!! I DIDN'T PUSH YOU WHEN YOU DIDN'T WANT TO TALK. SURE, EVENTUALLY YOU WOULD TELL ME, BUT YOUR STILL PUSHING ME AWAY!!!! YOU ALWAYS WERE!!!! I TRIED SO HARD DANNY, SO HARD, TO MAKE YOU TRUST ME, AND TO HELP YOU, BUT LOOK AT WHAT GOOD THAT DID!! I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP DANNY!!!! I DON'T NEED ANYTHING FROM YOU!!!! JUST LEAVE!!! LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!!!!" Chrys backed up against the alley wall, sobbing hysterically. Danny nodded his face stone cold._

_"If that's what you really want," he said stiffly. He brushed past Chrys and headed out of the alley, the fog swallowing him as he left. _

_Chrys slowly sunk to the floor, still hysterically crying. Everything was going wrong, so wrong. She could literally feel the world crumbling around her. It wasn't supposed to end up like that. They were supposed to be best friends forever. Her sobs quieted down as she leaned against the wall. All she wanted right now was for Danny to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was Ok in the soothing tone of his while she cried to her hearts content. She forced out a laugh and started crying again. How ironic was this? She was always the one trying to help him, but now he was the one trying to help her. At least he now knew what it felt like, having his good intentions ignored. Chrys closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. So many broken promises._

_((End Of Flashback))_

_"It just broke your heart didn't it? The point that she chose me over you? I bet it did. Of course, later on, you would regret not forcing her to go with you, wouldn't you now? Of course you would. I would love to say and chat, but I must go now. Have fun regretting."_

There was a click, indicating it had stopped recording. The room was silent as everyone tried to digest the information. Danny was grasping the back of a chair so hard, his knuckles were white. Seeing this, Viv came over and gently pried his hands off the chair. Slowly, she guided him out of the room and into one of the chairs right outside.

"Are you alright?" she asked tenderly. Danny tried to nod, but after a second shook his head.

"How does he know all these things?" he asked eyes wide with panic. "No one was there when it happened. That was a private moment. Nobody was supposed to know about that. Danny could see the walls that he had built to suppress those crumbling.

Jack walked out of the office. "Martin and Sam are going to get a warrant to search Spencer's apartment and office. Viv, you come with me. We're going to visit Madeline Walters. Danny, I want you to stay her and get a deeper background check on both of them. And pull their phone record to see if they have been communicating. We are going to find her."

XXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 8 is finished. Plz review. ; p


	9. Friends

Sorry I haven't updated for such a long time. I've been sorta busy with my forensics team.

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_22 Hours Missing_

"Our guy wasn't at the office," Martin said as he entered the bullpen with Sam right behind him. "His secretary hasn't seen him in days."

Jack sighed. "His family hasn't heard from him is years, so it's doubtful Spencer will go there."

"As for Walter, no one has seen or heard her for three days. We're waiting on a warrant to search her apartment," Viv informed, suppressing a yawn.

Danny nodded and pulled out a file. "It seems that she had been withdrawing large sums of money from her bank account. I checked her financial records."

"What would she be using it for?" Sam asked. Jack sighed and pinched the bridge off his nose.

"Why don't we all go home and get a few hours of sleep," he suggested, "There's no point of being exhausted." Danny swiveled his chair back to the computer.

"You need your rest," Viv scolded lightly while grabbing her coat and pocketbook. He shook his head.

"No, I'll sleep on the couch if I need any rest," Danny said, insisting on staying the night.

Jack sighed. He knew there was no getting through to him. Once you had a personal case, you don't rest until you solve it. He knew this from personal experience as well as Viv.

"If that's what you really want," he shrugged. After an exchange of good-byes, the rest of the team left, feeling slightly guilty about leaving Danny alone.

---------------

Danny leaned back in his chair and rubbed his tired eyes. It had been a few hours since everyone left. There were a few stray agents here and there finishing up their cases. He had sent out and APB on Spencer's and Walter's vehicles, and reviewed their records…twice. There was nothing, absolutely nothing. No clue on where the money went, or where they themselves went. Danny loosened his tie and turned back to the computer. The video was on pause and the letter was in front of him.

There had to be a clue somewhere. There was always a clue. It was just a matter of how hard you looked and where you looked. He continued to review the video and the letter. He paused the video after every second, scanning the screen for anything. He had been doing this for the past half hour and it was starting to strain his eyes.

_Just one more time._ He clicked, restarting the video. Danny kept repeating that in his head, trying to convince himself that watching just one more time would bring him closer to finding Chrys.

---------------

_30 hours missing_

Martin covered his mouth as his mouth stretched out in a yawn. Carrying a cup of coffee with his coat slung over his arm, he shuffled into the office. He didn't get much sleep last night. The unsolved case kept bouncing around his head. It was really getting to Danny, and he was worried.

Martin shook his head. It was time to get to work. He walked into the bullpen and placed his jacket on his chair. Then he turned around, doing a double take. Danny was asleep, his head buried in his arms. On his screen, the video was replaying itself over and over again.

Taking pity on him, Martin walked over and shook Danny's shoulder.

"Wake up Danny," he said. Danny groaned and turned his head away from Martin.

"Ten more minutes." Martin bit his lip, trying to keep his laughter at bay.

"Is that what you say to your alarm clock?" he asked. Danny snapped up, realizing he was in the office.

"Oh! ...um…good morning," he said awkwardly. Martin shook his head and smiled.

"How many times did you watch that?" he asked, noticing how red Danny's eyes were and the video that was replaying itself.

"Twice." Martin shot him a look. "Ok, more like 20," he admitted.

"And did you find anything?"

Danny sighed sounding defeated. "Absolutely nothing," he answered sullenly. Martin clucked hid tongue sympathetically.

"C'mon," he said stepping away, "you need a cup coffee and you need to fix that hair of yours." Danny glared at Martin.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically. He stood up and ran his hand over his face. Martin just chuckled.

"And maybe some cover-up for those bags under your eyes." Danny snorted, feeling a bit better. Sometimes he was really thankful for friends like Martin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This is a really short chapter and basically has nothing to do with the case, I know, but I still hope you enjoyed it. Review!


	10. Past

I finally updated after almost two months. Sorry about that. It's just that I couldn't figure out how to end the story. Then it hit me. I figured out the perfect way. So, let us proceed.

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_35 hours missing_

They were at a dead end. There were no more clues and no contact from Jeremy or Madeline. Jack was tapping his pen impatiently at the head of the table.

"Nothing?" he asked suddenly, looking up from his files.

Viv sighed. "You asked us that five minutes ago, Jack. We haven't found anything yet." He nodded and looked back down.

A silence filled the bullpen, only interrupted by the occasional turning of the page and Jack's consistent pen tapping.

Annoyed, Sam glared at Jack. "Will you stop that?" she asked, slightly aggravated. The silence was giving her a headache and the tapping didn't help. "You're more worried than Danny."

Danny, who was sitting opposite her, looked up. "We are running out of time," he softly reminded her, unable to make his voice any louder. He was worried and scared. Who knew what Jeremy would do to Chrys? She was strong, true, but vengeance wasn't something to be taken lightly.

Suddenly, Sam spoke up. "I just realized that we know almost nothing about Chrys," she said, nervously glancing at him. Somehow, he highly doubted she _just_ realized this.

"Well, what do you want to know?" They were getting nowhere, reviewing the files, so why not go over her history? Maybe they would uncover something along the way. Danny reclined in his chair and swept his gaze over the other members of the team before placing it on Sam. They all looked as curious as she did.

"How did you meet her?"

Danny tilted his head to the side before answering. "She got me out of a jam my brother got me into." Sam nodded.

" How?" Martin asked, taking over.

"You met her brother right?"

Jack snorted. "He's a piece of work."

Danny nodded in agreement. "Unofficially, he's the kingpin in the city. If you cross him, you die, but if you hurt his sister, he'll make you suffer." Viv shot him a quizzical look.

"Then why are you still alive?" she asked, meaning well.

He smiled darkly. "As much as he didn't want to admit it, Henry actually liked me. I somehow melded into their family." Danny blinked his eyes suddenly watery. He remembered the day he first met Chrys's brother. She had taken him to her real home, a mansion in the Hampton. He remembered the awed felling that overcame him when the iron wrought gates opened to reveal a picturesque white mansion, the driveway dotted with bright red flowers.

He also remembered the first time he had met Henry. He was an intimidating figure, with an air of command. His cold blue eyes were almost heartless when they looked at him, but immediately softened when they looked a Chrys. He also remembered the way the cold stern frown turned into a happy, soft smile when Chrys ran around the desk to give him a hug. The way he turned to him when Chrys had introduced him to her brother and the way he gave him a nod of approval. He remembered feeling so relieved for some reason. Usually, he didn't care what others thought of him, but with Chrys, it mattered.

Chrys herself was an enigma. After the first time he met her, he had been so curious as to whom she was that he had returned to the same alleyway on several occasions. Almost like she knew he was looking for her, she would occasionally breeze in like a ghost at the most unexpected places. Sometimes they would talk, but the conversation would always be short. Other times, she would pass him with a blithe smile. The only thing consistent about their meeting was in the end, he would always end up wondering if she really existed of if she was a figment of his imagination that her conjured up. Finally, after the umpteenth time, she told him her name, something she always told him was didn't matter.

Maybe that was why he was attracted to her. The mysterious aura she held. The way that no matter what, she would always find a way to smile. Of course that was all in the past.

Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking the silence. Jack snatched it off the cradle and the table was filled with hopeful looks. Maybe they found some thing.

XXXXXXX

Really short chapter, I know. But, only one more chapter until the end unless I right an epilogue. Review!


	11. The End

Jack slowly placed the phone back on the receiver, unusually pale. He shot Danny a look and cleared his throat. Thing weren't good; Danny could tell.

"What was it?" he asked, his voice strained.

"They, um they-," he cleared his throat again, "They may have found her," he said faintly. The team looked at him expectantly, holding on to a shred of hope. "There was no I.D. The coroner is waiting for us to get there."

Danny immediately stood up. "I'm coming," he stated firmly.

Jack glanced at him uneasily and rubbed his bottom lip. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said cautiously. Danny glared at him.

"I'm going, Jack and that's finally." He picked up his jacket and pushed his chair back under his desk. "I'll meet you by the car." As he strolled away, Jack watched him with a troubled expression.

"Do you think it's smart?" Viv asked, articulating the question on everyone's mind. Jack was silent for a moment as he gathered up his files.

"I don't actually think I can stop him, even if he shouldn't go," he finally said. Knowing this was true, Viv remained quiet. "Besides," Jack added, "we're not sure if the body's Chrys or not."

Martin looked up from the table. "And if it is?" he asked quietly. Jack drummed his finger against the files. Even he couldn't think of a way to answer the question.

Finally, after a few more moment of silence, Jack got up and grabbed his jacket. "It is Chrys, then there's nothing we can do about it." Though the words were cold, he said it in a way that they knew wasn't. "Call me if anything new comes up." With those words, he parted.

When he was finally out of sight, Sam spoke up. "How do you think Danny would handle Chrys's death?" In the line of job they had, it was hard to be optimistic. Every time there was even a bit of hope, it was shot down faster than a snap of the finger, usually leaving a strong aftertaste of disappointment. Martin rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"The best he can, I suppose," answered Martin. Danny had always been one to suffer in silence. When it came down to it, none of them actually knew how Danny dealt with grief. True, he use to drown it with alcohol, and now he talked to his sponsor whenever he felt like drinking again, but that wasn't actually dealing with grief.

"You're thinking too much into it," Viv said, starting on her paperwork. "It might not even be Chrys. Besides, there's nothing we can do right now. If it is indeed Chrys, then the most we can do is stand by Danny." Nothing left to say, Martin backed up to his desk and Sam stared out the window. Sometimes, it's just hard being optimistic.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Took you long enough," said Danny as Jack opened the driver side door and slid in. Jack started the car with out a word and shut the door. "You guys were asking whether it was smart for me to go or not weren't you?" Jack sighed and looked at Danny. That was all the answer he need. "I'll be fine, Jack. I promise."

Jack tapped the steering wheel and sighed again. "You can't guarantee that, Danny," he said.

Danny gave a huff of annoyance before glaring at Jack. "You worry too much."

"That's my job," he replied before turning up the radio and pulling out of the parking spot. The drive to the crime scene was relatively silent. The atmosphere in the car was tense as they arrived at the outskirts of city. The scene of yellow tape and flashing lights greeted them as they got out of the car. Danny jogged over and ducked underneath the crime scene tape. Pulling out a pair of latex gloves out of his pocket, he snapped it on and started questioning the commanding officer.

"A couple was running their morning jog when they found the Jane Doe," he said pointing into the bushes with a pen. Danny nodded and walked over. Jack was already there, in a crouch, examining the dead body. Danny rounded fought through the thickets to where the body was hidden, a growing feeling of dread in his stomach. He stepped on a twig and caused Jack to jump up.

"Ah, Danny…" Danny looked at the body and blinked. Jack put a hand on is shoulder. "Maybe you should wait in the car," he said remorsefully. Danny ignored him and moved closer. Hidden beneath a bush laid a body. By the looks of it, it hadn't been there long since it hadn't even gone through rigor. Danny carefully stepped over the corpse's leg. She was garbed in a green tank top and orange pajama pants, dressed as if she was about to go to sleep. He moved to the left and over to the coroner who was taking her liver temperature. Once Danny saw her face, he took a step back.

Looking like she would wake up any moment was Chrys. Her lively green eyes were closed and her mouth was set in a peaceful smile like she happily slipped away in her sleep instead of killed during a kidnapping. Any hope the Danny had harbored now came crashing down. Behind him, he heard Jack on the phone telling Sam what was going on. But that was all background noise. A loud roaring filled his ears as he continued to stare at Chrys's lifeless body in disbelief. With hint of dark humor, he realized he was going through the first stage off grieving: denial.

"Excuse me," the coroner interrupted politely. Danny closed his eyes, the image of the dead body etched beneath his eyelids.

"Yes?" he asked harshly, turning to the coroner.

The coroner seemed a bit offended as she asked," Could you move, sir? We have to bag the body now." Realizing the coroner was being snippy because of his previous tone, Danny took a few steps back awkwardly nodded. "Sorry," he said, trying not to offend her anymore.

The coroner just gave him a curt nod and spread the bag out next to Chrys. With the help of one of her assistants, they placed her in the bag and zipped hit up.

"Danny." He watched as they heaved her onto a gurney and wheeled her out of the forest thicket and into the examiner's van. "Danny!" Danny turned to an impatient Jack and realized he had been calling him for a while now.

"What?" he asked.

"We have to go now," Jack said, motioning for Danny to follow him to the car. "Case closed. It's PD's turn." Danny stood unmoving, still staring at the ground where Chrys had previously laid. They had found Chrys. His job was over. Now it was up to PD to find her killer. Now, there was not a chance of catching Jeremy, at least not for him. Not him. An idea sprung in his head and he turned to Jack.

"Do you mind if tell Henry," he asked.

"Uh, sure," Jack said hesitantly, trying to remember who he was.

"Chrys's brother." Danny said, reading his mind.

"Right," Jack nodded. "Well…go ahead then. Sam's coming anyway, so I'll just wait here for her." Danny forced a half smile as a thank you and went to the car. "Hey Danny," Jack called out. He turned around. "You forgot the keys." He tossed Danny the key and turned to talk to a CSU who was gathering evidence.

Danny slid into the driver's seat and shut the door. He slid the key into the keyhole, but didn't start the car. Drumming his fingers along the dashboard, he leaned back and started thinking. He knew what he was about to do, but was it smart. Jeremy killed Chrys, so in Danny's mind; Jeremy deserved to suffer horribly before dieing. But was he willing to break the law to see it happen? Of course, it isn't that big of an offense if he did do what he wanted, but he was an FBI agent now. It wasn't like when he was younger and the law didn't matter. Now, he had a responsibility to respect and follow the law. Who was he kidding? Right now the only thing he wanted to see was Jeremy's neck snapped in half and maybe Mimi's too.

Danny ran his hand over his face and sighed. What ever he was going to do, first he had to visit Henry. He started the car, pulled out of the spot and turned on the radio.

The drive to the Hampton took a bit of time, so when Danny finally pulled up to the gates that barred the manor, it was well into the afternoon. He stopped the car right in front of the iron wrought gated and rolled down his windows. Reaching out of the car, Danny pushed the black button on the intercom box that was place outside the gate. A crackle of static was emitted from the box before someone spoke.

"Mr. Smith is currently busy. Please try back later," a female voice said.

"Tell Mr. Smith it is Danny Taylor from the FBI," Danny replied, "I may have some information he's interested in." There was a pause before the gates were buzzed open with the sound of loud screeching.

"Please proceed." Danny rolled up his window without a word of thanks and drove through the gated onto the long driveway that led to the mansion. When he got out of the car, a maid was waiting for him, with the front door open.

"Master is waiting for you," she said as soon as Danny stepped out of the car. Danny nodded and followed her into the familiar halls. The maid's name was Antoinette, from France.

They walked through the hall, passing numerous of portraits as they neared their destination. They reached a mahogany door and stopped. Antoinette bowed and said, "Master is waiting for you." Danny nodded again. About to turn to leave, the maid stopped and looked at Danny with a fond yet sad look. "It's been a while hasn't it?" she asked with a slight french accent. Danny's mouth dried when she spoke. It _had_ been a while since he last heard her accented voice scolding him, Chrys or both for almost breaking something, or calling them in for a snack.

"Yes it has," Danny answered in a whisper.

Antoinette regarded him warily. "She's gone isn't she?" Antoinette had always been fond of Chrys and then Danny as they had always been fond of her. Both with a mother, she provided a motherly figure for them.

Danny averted his eyes and nodded for the third time. "She was a good girl," Antoinette murmured, the sadness evident in her eyes and voice. "Do let him down easy." Danny sucked in a breath and looked at her. "I will," he said, his voice strengthening.

"You were always a good boy." Her distress was evident by the way she wrung the towel she was holding. Danny nearly laughed at that statement. Was he really. "I'll leave you then." Antoinette smiled mournfully and left him at the door. Danny turned his attention to the door. Nearly two decades ago, he stood at the very same spot with Chrys next to him, coaching him in what he was suppose to do. Now he stood alone, not sure of what to do next.

Gradually as the seconds ticked by, Danny mustered up the courage to knock on the door.

"Come in," a deep voice that belonged to Henry Smith called. Danny turned the golden door knob and pushed the door open. He was once again in the room where the two men had first met. "How may I help you?" Henry was reclining in his leather recliner with its back facing Danny as he surveyed the grounds through his large window.

"I have some news," Danny said hesitantly, "about Chrys." Still, Henry did not turn around.

"Sit," he gestured. "Have some tea." Danny lowered himself into one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Sir I-" Henry swiveled around and looked at Danny, his cold blue eyes colder and sharper than ever.

"I have no time for pity and guilt Danny. Just spit it out." Danny opened his mouth then closed it.

"She's – she's gone, Henry, Chrys is gone." Henry placed his fingers together and peered at Danny with an expression of slight annoyance.

"You could afford to be a bit more specific when you're talking about my sister," he said harshly.

"She's DEAD, Henry, Chrys is DEAD," Danny nearly shouted. Why did he have to be so difficult?

"You could've told me this over the phone," Henry said coldly. His face was expressionless as he took in the news. "Why did you personally come?" Danny looked passed him through the widow at the fields where Chrys and him use to play.

"I can tell you who it is," he said softly.

"And what do you want me to do?" There was understanding in Henry's eyes, but he didn't like to be used.

Danny sighed and finally relaxed in his chair. "What kind of question is that?" Danny asked, a hint of black humor slipping in again. Henry just looked at him. Sighing again, Danny reached out to pour a cup of tea. "We both care about Chrys, but now, she's dead." The thought was still foreign in his mind, but being an FBI agent, he was expected to accept the fact and move on, which he was trying to do without much avail.

Henry nodded slowly, wary of where this was going. "And we all know who you really are, am I correct?" Henry nodded again. Danny took a sip of tea, but then put it down, finding he wasn't thirsty and really didn't want to play games. Abruptly, he stood up. "I'll make this very simple. Jeremy Spencer and Madeline Walter. Good day." Danny pulled open the door and walked out knowing full well this was probably the last he would ever see Henry or the mansion. Without Chrys, all ties were severed.

Danny leaned against the door. Henry wasn't going to come out anytime soon, he knew, so in the secluded hallway, he finally let the tears rolled.

_Epilogue_

Danny stood over a grave, holding a bouquet of white lilies. The sky was grey and hinting rain. He stood alone in the vast graveyard, not another soul in sight. Danny knelt down and placed the flowers in front of the grave.

"Hey Chrys," he murmured, tracing her name. The day after her funeral, Jeremy and Mimi had been found in an alley way, their bodies so messed up, the only way to identify them was by DNA. Henry had done what had been asked of him though he would have done it anyway. "I love you, you know that right?" Danny smiled. Though it was a bit late, it still felt good to finally say it out loud. A gentle breeze ruffled through his hair and Danny could swear she was saying it back. "Here. I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace, its chain entangled in his fingers. "Remember this?"

True, he was speaking to himself, but Danny didn't care. The weeks after Chrys's death had been almost unbearable. He almost took up drinking again. Martin helped him through it, as did Danny's sponsor, but the most surprising thing was Henry. Danny didn't expect anything from Henry. He only accepted him because he was Chrys's friend. True, he did have a soft spot for Danny, but he never though it would extend over Chrys, but now they were two men who had bonded over a woman.

Danny placed the necklace next to the flowers. "Friends forever, remember?" There was no answer as expected, but one wasn't needed. Danny got up and brushed of his trench coat. Just then, with a clap of thunder, it started raining. At first the raindrops fell lightly, caressing the gravestones, but soon if fell harder.

Danny didn't move as the rain fell. The droplets slowly rolled down his face as he tilted his head back to fell it. Without knowing it, tears mixed with the rain until his face was completely wet. Biting his bottom lip, he closed his eyes. In the rain, no one could tell. Finally, Danny looked back down. The rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon and he was already soaking wet. "I love you," he whispered one last time before, walking away. He was late for work.

_FBI Office, Missing Persons Unit_

Danny shrugged of his jacket and hung the wet piece of clothing over the back of his chair. He scurried to the men's room and grabbed some paper towel to dry his hair. When he came out, the team was already sitting at the center table, waiting for him. Danny took his seat and Jack cleared his throat.

"We have a new team member," Jack informed, watching Danny carefully. The team was all stricken by the loss of an agent, especially since they never truly got to meet her.

Jack gestured to the glass doors leading out of their unit and everyone turned to look at who he was welcoming. "Please welcome Agent Elena Delgado."


End file.
